Legendary rugby league coach Jack Gibson once said waiting for Cronulla to win the grand final was like leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt, and many Sharks fans turned up in wetsuits with signs of Holt saying:"I'm coming home."

The result sent the 36,717-strong crowd into raptures on Friday night as the Sharks moved a step closer to claiming their first title in their 50-year history and ended the Cowboys' hopes of winning back-to-back premierships.

Things got ugly for the Cowboys almost from the get-go when Lachlan Coote dropped Cronulla's first kick of the night in just the second minute. They were able to pull it out and hopefully they can win it all.